1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to purse rings having multiple rollers and, more particularly, to a purse ring having multiple rollers which couples a purse line and a purse seine, which are used for fishing, to each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
As well known to those skilled in the art, as fishing equipment used for fishing, purse seines are one kind of fishing nets, used for catching sardines, horse mackerels, mackerels, bonitos, tuna, etc. Such a purse seine and a conventional purse ring are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a purse seine 104 has a rectangular shape, the central portion of which is slightly wider than other portions. Furthermore, a plurality of buoyancy units 106 such as floats is provided along the upper edge of the purse seine 104 in order to make it possible for the upper edge of the purse seine 104 to float on water, and a plurality of weighting units 108 such as chains is provided under the lower edge of the purse seine 104 so as to make it possible for the lower edge of the purse seine 104 to sink under the water. Thus, the purse seine 104 can be oriented upright in the water by the buoyancy units 106 and the weighting units 108. Typically, the purse seine 104 spreads in the water in an approximately circular shape for catching fish.
Furthermore, a purse line 104, which is used when the purse seine 104, which has been spread into a circular shape, is hauled in, is disposed along the lower edge of the purse seine 104. The purse line 104 is coupled to ends of the weighting units 108 through connectors, which are called purse rings 110. In detail, connection members 112 such as ropes or straps are connected to the ends of the weighting units 108. Each connection member 112 is connected to a first end of each purse ring 110. The purse line 114 passes through second ends of the purse rings 110. Thereby, the purse line 114 is coupled to the weighting units 108.
To haul in the purse seine 104, when the purse line 114 is pulled by fishermen on a fishing boat, the weighting units 108 of the purse seine 104 are also pulled, and thus fish are confined while the purse seine 104 is hauled in.
However, in the case of the purse ring 110 according to the conventional technique, due to the weight of the fish and the purse seine 104 being hauled in, a relatively large frictional force is generated on contact surfaces between the purse line 114 and the purse rings 110 when the purse seine 104 is hauled in, thus inducing extreme abrasion of the surfaces of the purse line 114 and the purse rings 110, with the result that they may tear.
This seriously interferes with the fishing operation. Furthermore, maintenance costs increase due to frequent replacement of the purse line 114 or the purse ring 110, thus resulting in reduced income.